Last Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its new Sustainable Communities Building Blocks Program for communities ready to begin adopting sustainable planning and development approaches. The program will increase local capacity to successfully implement such approaches through the use of standardized, ready-to-go tools that have a track record of success.

We’re proud to announce that we’ve partnered with the EPA in this program, making our Complete Streets Workshops available to the participating communities. Through this program, we’ll be able to provide one of our Workshops to the communities that select the Complete Streets tool. Our Instructor corps will conduct a one-day, hands-on site visit to help them develop a new, common vision for transportation projects; understand how to set new investment priorities; draft new policy; and tackle implementation challenges.

The EPA plans to provide technical assistance to 20 communities, which it will select through a competitive process with input from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The application period ends on February 23, 2011. Read more about the tools available and how to apply on the Program’s website and through the Request for Letters of Interest (.pdf).